The Lady & the Tramp
by Jamie Almazy
Summary: Karakura Highschool AU, no powers; Ichigo—the lady killer—is simply drawn to the new transfer student. It started with a bet…so will it end with a bet? Or perhaps something more? Rated T for language; a little fluff here and there, RukiaxIchigo.
1. ProloguePilot

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Well that's a lie...I do have Clorox in my possession C:**

**a/n: So! Welcome, if you clicked on this story, it means that you were curious and/or bored enough to find this. I apologize that this chapter is quite short, because it is a test chapter (pilot, if you will), and I'd like to see how you take to the idea so far. So with that in mind, please review to lead me in the right direction to continue this story in! Thankies C:**

Our 'tramp':

Kurosaki Ichigo, 17 years old, currently walking down the street on the weekend, clad in a BAPE sweatshirt and skinny jeans. Girls swooned as he walked by, not that he paid them any attention. He had a shock of orange locks and deep mocha brown eyes, high cheek bones, and a tall but slender build. He was the king of Karakura Highschool. A good fighter, and any girl's dream boyfriend. Or so they say. He could practically make anything look cool. Like buying a can of hot cocoa from a 100 yen machine, which was an action he was currently engaging in. He leisurely made his way back to where his street was.

Our lady(?):

"Hey orangey!" A girl's voice shouted from behind him. He turned around, one eyebrow raised. Suddenly, his hot cocoa was pulled out of his hand and suddenly in the hands of a short girl with black shoulder-length tresses, resembling the style of a baby octopus. And before he knew it, his head was on fire. His brain finally registered what happened after seeing the girl laugh and run away, turning to shout at the shocked adolescent, "Brown looks way better, carrot-top!" He picked up the empty can. The girl had had the guts to dump the hot cocoa on his head, resulting in his orange locks to be stained brown a bit. He was pissed. He squashed the can with one hand before stalking off, realizing the girl had completely disappeared. He would get his revenge.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Kurosaki Ichigo did not like this. Not one bit.

It was just another day of high school, like any other. But today was different.

"Class, please welcome our new transfer student, Kuchiki Rukia."

"Hi-hi!" The girl at the front of the room greeted with a smile, she had dark navy violet eyes and a recognizable baby octopus hair style. Ichigo slammed his hands on his desk, drawing all attention in the room to himself. Anger pulsed through him.

"You're that brat from yesterday!" He shouted, pointing his index finger at her forehead. Her brows creased.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Rukia's smile never left her face.

"Don't give me that, you know exactly who I am!"

"Sorry, I don't think I know any carrot-tops."

"You octopus head, you dumped hot chocolate on my head!"

"Eh? But this is the first time I've met you?"

"Quit acting you—"

"_AHEM_," the teacher death glared the boy. "Detention." Ichigo was speechless. How did he get himself into this mess anyway?

**a/n: Please leave me feedback to tell me what you think C:**


	2. Students of Karakura High

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach_.**

**Thank you to Imou for reviewing!  
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**a/n: 2nd chapter whoo! WARNING: you're going to meet a lot of characters. I know this is a little bit much, but trust me, I had just as much trouble trying to get these people straight! Enjoy this slightly longer chapter C:  
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The bell for homeroom of class 1-3, which contained the juniors of Karakura High, to end sounded.

Ichigo sighed, resting his hand on the side of his forehead—the habit he has when he tries to calm down and sort through his thoughts. He was still ticked off at that transfer student, who was playing the 'new kid' game. While glaring daggers at the latter's back, Ichigo was not surprised to see several of the students in his class gathering around her desk. Of this crowd, all of the female students in his class were squealing over the shrimp.

_How annoying, _he thought while rubbing his ears.

"Kuchiki-san, you're so cute!" A girl squealed.

"Your skin is so pale!" Another girl marveled.

"You guys are embarrassing me, I'm not really…as charming as you make me out to be, ho ho ho!" The transfer student blushed smugly. _The little weasel, that's obviously a haughty act,_ thought Ichigo.

"Kuchiki-san, you're so modest!" A girl commented.

Among these girls was Orihime Inoue, every boy's dream fantasy. Sure she was quite…attractive, but on the downside, she was a total air head. Must've all gone to her boobs. She seemed like one of the 'easy girls'. Heck, even Ichigo had thought so and made an advance on her. This advance went quite terribly; in fact, Ichigo nearly lost his manhood's pride & joy. Tatsuki Arisawa, the tomboy, was the culprit of any accidents concerning boys who took interest in Orihime. The tomboy was a black belt who packed a nasty punch, kick, etc. She was basically Orihime's guard dog. Chizuru Honsho was the lesbian pervert of the female population. She randomly jabbers about 'moe' and Orihime's boobs like there's no tomorrow. Her red glasses always glinted in an odd way that gave everyone the chills. And finally, the shy girl, Michiru Ogawa, who was not very eye-catching, except she was pretty cute with her short hair and constant blush. The other girls that were even less noticeable were Ryo Kunieda, Mahana Natsui, and Kyoko Haida.

A few boys were mixed into the crowd. Reiichi Oshima, a prick who tried to be cool by bleaching his hair while claiming Ichigo stole his look and had several ear piercings. Tetsuo Momohara, part of the karate club who always tries to persuade Ichigo to join, he's got nice-looking black hair and a band-aid on his forehead. Satoda, the dreamy soccer captain who always tries to recruit Ichigo. Heck, even some of Ichigo's buddies were there. Keigo Asano, the typical teenage bag of hormones, who was only at Rukia's desk to get closer to Orihime. He was somewhat of a player and a coward. His good friend, Mizuiro Kojima stood beside him, uninterested and dragged along. He had a girlish face that older women seemed to like, and had taken his love interest into an older crowd. Currently, he was busily texting away to who knows who…Some other people who blended in with no real impact or noticeableness that were just smart were Kenichiro Nanbu, Satoshi Terasawa, Shouko Kusama, and Jinpei Nagase.

Ichigo observed the only people who weren't crowded around Rukia. The two were Sado Yasutora and Uryuu Ishida. Ichigo didn't know them on a personal level, but he had heard of each of them. Sado Yasutora was a hulking giant, intentions unknown and personality unknown. He barely spoke more than a word. Uryuu Ishida was a smart guy who probably had a stick up his ass, always staring at others as if incompetent or a waste of attention. He had a pair of ridiculously glint-y glasses that blinded nearly anyone he talked to. Not much was known about his personality other than cold and detached.

With a skeptical look at Keigo and Kojima, Ichigo left the class room. He figured he might as well go chill with his senior pal to calm down. He absently mindedly stared into space while his feet took him where he needed to go.

"Yo, Strawberry," a voice snapped him out of his daze.

"Yo, Shrimp," a smirk played at his lips while looking down at his kouhai, Hitsugaya Toshiro.

"_Don't. Call. Me. Short,_" an anger mark graced his features. He was a short guy who was a soccer star and a natural lady charmer, they literally fell at his feet or threw themselves at him. Maybe it was the blond locks that were so white, that they rivaled snow, or maybe it was the turquoise eyes? He was a sophomore of class 1-2.

"Whatever, Shirayuki-hime," Ichigo said coolly, waving behind him while continuing his path to class 1-4, the seniors.

Opening the door, Ichigo was immediately in the chokehold of a blond man with a chesire-cat-like smile.

"Ich-i-gooo!" The blond man drawled, giving his kouhai a noogie.

"Shinji-sempai…can't…breathe…" Ichigo choked out.

"Sorry, sorry," Shinji said while releasing him. "Are you going to come chill with the gang later? I'm sure Hiyori would be pleased."

Ichigo shrugged and frowned, glaring holes into the wood floor.

Shinji noted the kid's countenance, "What's gotcha wigged out?"

"Transfer student in my class is the same bitch who dumped my hot cocoa on me. Won't admit to it, and now I'm stuck with detention."

Shinji smirked. "Hahaah, have fun kiddo." The warning bell sounded. "Get back ta' class, 'aight?" Ichigo nodded in a detached manner and made his way back to his class.

Entering his own classroom again, Ichigo was graced with the lovely shout of his name and a flying Keigo heading his way.

"ICHIGOOOO! WHERE DID YOU GO?" Keigo launched himself into the wall, where Ichigo had been standing before stepping out of the way.

"To see Shinji," Ichigo responded simply.

"Finally back, huh?" Mizuiro stated calmly while leaning against a desk. "We've started an interesting little bet," he smirked.

"Oh?" Ichigo responded with little interest while taking his seat.

"Yeah, nothing the great lady-killer Ichigo-sama can't handle," Keigo continued with a similar smirk to Mizuiro's.

"Class, settle down!" The teacher shouted, while slapping her book against her desk. All conversations hushed and attention on the teacher. "Very good. Now we shall proceed with the following equations…."

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**a/n: Don't forget to review and give me feedback! C:**


	3. The Bet

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach_. Tite Kubo is my hero.**

**a/n: So I'm starting to think I have a thing for bells. My stories _do_ tend to start and/or finish with bells sounding in this fic...hope you readers don't mind that this is the only way I can figure to transition C: And I do realize that this must be a strange updating pace, the reason is, of course, the fact that I am on Spring Break whoo! :D**

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The school bell sounded—end of the day, club activities' time.

"If you can woo the transfer student, Mizuiro and I will buy you hot cocoa for the next two months."

"Hell. NO." Ichigo glared at the two.

"Eh? It's not like the lady killer to back down from a _challenge_, now is it?" Mizuiro smiled evilly.

"If you decide _not_ to take this bet…we'll just spread rumors that the supposed lady killer is a fake—can't even get in some transfer student's pants."

"C'mon, Ichiiiigoo, she's probably easy anyway! What could possibly go wrong?"

Ichigo thought for a minute, his face darkening.

"DON'T THINK ABOUT IT!" Keigo screamed while terrified of what possible things Ichigo was brainstorming. "JUST DO IT!"

"5 months of hot cocoa." Ichigo sighed, breaking his chain of thought.

"Your deadline is the end of this month—so you've got a few days give or take."

Ichigo ran a hand through his hair, "Fine."

"Deal!" Keigo grinned.

"You guys make me sick," and with that said, Ichigo stood. The female population minus Rukia drooled over the carrot-top's appeal.

"Ichiigoo, where are you going?" Keigo whined.

"Club activities. You guys are annoying." Mizuiro shrugged and paid full attention to his cell phone screen.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Uwaaa! ILOVEYOUKUROSAKI-SAMA!"

"YOU'RE SO HOT!"

"BE MY BOYFRIEND!"

"YOU'RE SO COOL!"

"KYAAAAAA!"

"MARRY ME!"

"YOU'RE HOT EVEN WHEN YOU SCOWL!"

"YEAH! SCARY IS SO ATTRACTIVE!"

"KYAAAAA!"

More squeals followed these. Ichigo was in his soccer uniform, currently the goalie. The fangirls were a usual attribution to club time that usually made Ichigo smirk as his fellow teammates expressed their jealousy. But today was different. He was scowling, trying to find what possible way there was to woo that sniveling brat of a girl. His eyes made a quick scan—yep, the brat was not among his fangirls. That would have been too easy.

_I'll get to that when it comes to that_, he decided, clearing his mind as the ball headed in his direction.

He recognized the player heading his way and chuckled evilly.

"Hey _Shorty_!"

The player twitched, which gave enough time for one his defenders to swoop in and steal the ball away.

"KUROSAKI, I'M GOING TO MURDER YOU!" Toshiro growled. Ichigo chuckled, pulling the kid into a noogie.

"Of course you are, kouhai-chan, after you pick up all the balls and wash everyone's uniforms." Toshiro paled at that. "That's what I thought," he released Toshiro with a grin. His fan girls nearly fainted at the sight.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

He opened his locker and smirked. Well, this would be easier than he'd thought.

A note was lying on top of his notebook.

_Meet me on the roof after club activities._

_-Kuchiki Rukia_

A bunny was next to her name. He laughed.

_Gutsy **and** childish_, he thought.

Heading towards the room, he opened the door indifferently.

"Yo, bunny-girl." He greeted.

"Yo, carrot-top." The transfer student replied, not missing a beat. "Of all the colors under the rainbow, why _orange_?" The muscles in his neck twitched, which Rukia took note of.

"It's my natural color."

"Oh? Is it?" She feigned shock.

"You want proof?" He said offhandedly, nonchalant.

"What kind of proo—" When he smirked, her cheeks flamed.

"What a perv. You can't seriously be thinking _that_," he approached her, a hand in his back pocket.

"Don't come any closer!" She demanded, her entire face scarlet.

"I can only wonder what you're expecting," he grinned as she covered her eyes, pulling something out of his back pocket.

"I don't want to see!"

"What, you're the one who asked for proof," he responded with a laugh at her behavior.

He waved the photo in front of her face. She peeked through her fingers and took the photo. It was a woman with long orange locks cradling a baby with a bushel of orange atop its head.

"Is that proof enough?" Ichigo laughed at her embarassed face. She secretly marveled at the sound of his laugh. _So cute_, she thought, looking at the picture.

"I s-suppose," she gave him the photo back, "I'm sorry that I dumped hot cocoa on your head the other day…I just hate brats who pretend to be cool that way by bleaching their hair. They piss me off." She wouldn't meet his eyes.

"So, how're you gonna repay me?" _I so have this in the bag, hello hot cocoa for 5 months_.

"Close your eyes," she said, her face unreadable.

"Oh, ok." He inwardly smirked. Something small and compact touched his lips, surprising him enough to open his eyes. He was definitely caught off guard. A sweet taste invaded his mouth, and no, it was not what he'd been expecting. A bunny shaped candy was propped in between his lips. He noticed the PEZ dispenser shaped like one of the creepy bunnies she signed the note with in her hand. "I hardly think this is a repayment for pouring burning hot chocolate over my head." He chewed the candy, swallowing it.

"But it was Chappy _Rare_ Edition! My favorite kind!"

"It was _not_ what I had in mind." He placed his hand on the wall behind her, trapping her between himself and the wall.

"D-don't be silly, I…" She lost her train of thought, distracted by his lips crashing onto hers. She recognized the sweetness of the candy she'd placed in his mouth earlier and was too shocked to respond. He suavely placed a piece of paper in her pocket, which she didn't seem to notice. He pulled away, watching the petite girl's reaction, which was her entire face resembling something of a cute tomato.

"See, this is what I had in mind," Ichigo smirked, leaving the blushing girl standing where she was on the roof.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

To put it simply, Kuchiki Rukia was shocked. Shocked to be kissed out of the blue. Shocked to realize he was a pro in the way he kissed her. Shocked to find that kiss to be devoid of emotion. She grew angrier with every thought that passed her.

"BAKA! DON'T KISS ME IF YOU DON'T MEAN IT!" She screamed to no one, for Ichigo had already left. She hastily pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, noticing a piece of paper fall out with it. She read:

_1-464-XXX-XXX._

A phone number. _His _phone number. What an ass.

She gripped it in her hand and dialed a certain red-head tattooed senior pal.

"Yo, Rukia!" An energetic voice greeted on the other side of the line.

"Renji…" Angry tears rolled down her face, preventing her from continuing. The other side of the line picked up on this.

"Where are you? I'll be there right away."

There was a pause before she answered.

"The roof…"

The call ended immediately.

Rukia fell to her knees, wiping away angry tears.

The door crashed open, hurried feet approached her.

"R-renji, I…I-I…" She held her head.

"What, what is it!"

"I-I…I am so mad…I think…I fell…in love with…a bastard I…I just met," she replied, burying her face in his shoulder. He was greatly shocked. Rukia doesn't cry when she likes someone. It just _doesn't_ happen like that.

"I think I need to meet this guy." Renji grunted, while lifting the petite girl to her feet. A piece of crumpled paper rolled out of her hand. "Phone number?" _Just _**who**_ is this boy anyway?_ Renji thought to himself.

"Un...I don't really want to talk about it until I understand it myself."

His best friend who JUST transferred probably fell for the wrong type of guy. Well, it was just a matter of a opinion deduced by Renji from the facts that 1. he made her cry, 2. he made her cry, 3. he made her cry.

"Rukia…"

He was going to have to confront this guy. Not now, but soon. After she sorts out her feelings and actually tells him willingly who this boy was. And when he would find this guy…and they'd have plenty to discuss.

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**a/n: Reviews inspire me to continue this story, thank you to Imou and Bob marly for reviewing! It means a lot to me C:**


	4. The Beginnings of a Long Day

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach._**

**a/n: I haven't been slacking off! I swear! The site seems to be having issues letting us update and upload chapters.**

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Ichigo grinned to himself. He'd be having free hot chocolate for five months courtesy of Keigo and Mizuiro if things kept going at his pace. There was a little voice in the back of his head that he'd never bothered paying attention to, and wouldn't start now. He shrugged, pushing the irritating feeling to the back of his mind. He was on his way home, passing by the local bridge, where most illegal pow-wow went down. He noticed a few thugs crowding around some kid—couldn't really see who at that distance.

"Yokochini's gonna be pissed if we don't pull some results from this kid."

"Hey, it's true; he's sucha monster but doesn't even fight back."

"Shut up and get it done."

Ichigo peered over, only to find his classmate, Sado, being beaten like a sandbag. His stomach clenched as he saw the thugs beating him with bats and the giant didn't even respond. Leaping over the railing, he crashed down on two of the thugs' heads, successfully knocking them out. Five more to go.

"Oi, you okay?" Ichigo looked back at Sado, who was horribly bruised all over and covered in dirt and small smears of blood. Sado stood, nodding. Three more charged with their own battle cries, Ichigo took out two, while Sado watched his back, taking out the third. Two left. They each took out a gun, enfuriated. Ichigo reached into his pocket and the two froze. He grinned, flipping open his mobile phone.

"Hello? Police?" He spoke into the phone, smirking at the opposite party's faces, which flinched in fear. They ran off. Ichigo turned his attention back to Sado. "I think we should get you to the hospital, big guy." Sado said nothing, and just stared back at him. Ichigo shrugged to himself and started off towards the sidewalk steps.

"Thank you."

Ichigo turned back, a question playing on his lips, "Why didn't you fight back?"

There was a pause.

"I have a promise to fulfill," Sado responded. Ichigo frowned.

"How stupid, you shouldn't let yourself get beat like that."

"I won't hit anyone. I promised not to use my power for myself."

A moment of silence between the two.

At that, Ichigo smirked. "Then use it for me." Sado's eyes widened, slowly processing what the carrot-top had said. "And I'll use mine for you."

Sado grunted, the equivalent to a 'okay', and Ichigo waved without turning to face him.

"Go to the hospital, Sado."

And they parted ways.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Seriously Yuzu, you _ripped_ the poor bear practically in half," Ichigo scolded his crying younger sibling.

"B-but onii-chan! Mr. Fluffulufulkins is…is…UWAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Yuzu cried her eyes out.

"Why don't you fix it, Ichi-nii?" His other sibling, Karin, recommended.

"But I don't—" Ichigo started, only seeing Yuzu cry harder, he sighed, "Fine, I'll fix it…somehow." Yuzu's crying calmed and Karin gave a sigh of relief.

_I'll just ask one of the girls in my class tomorrow_, he thought to himself.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Pfft—you—HahAhaHAHHAH—you brought a—HAHAHA—a doll—HAHahahHAAH—to school," Keigo blurted breathlessly.

"Shut up, it's a bear," Ichigo replied, annoyed.

"Actually, I think it's a bunny," Mizuiro added, lifting the two ears up into the air.

"WHATEVER. I just have to get it fixed before Yuzu has a crying tantrum again," Ichigo replied. Inoue entered the room, catching Ichigo's eye. "Inoue-san!" He indicated for her to come over.

"Eh?" Inoue approached them, a questioning look in her eyes.

"Can you fix this?" Ichigo stated, holding the bunny/bear/thing up in her face, the tear completely visible. Inoue blushed.

"Ehm, I…I don't know how to sew…" She replied, embarrassed. "B-but, Ishida-kun is really good with sewing!" She said cheerfully, not noticing the looks of disbelief on all three's faces. Snapping out of it, Ichigo decided he'd go ask the glasses kid who was pretty smart.

"Thanks, Inoue-san." He nonchalantly said, heading off to said boy's desk. The boy was focused on the book before him. His glasses glinted, as he looked up to see Ichigo before him. "Yo." No response from glasses boy. "Can you fix this?" He indicated the torn bunny/bear/thing in his hand.

"Baka. You don't know how to sew?" The quiet boy answered. He whipped out a needle and thread, and Mr. Fluffulufulkins was no longer leaking his inners.

"Thanks, glasses boy, you're a life saver," Ichigo replied, examining the bear from all angles.

"_Ishida Uryuu_," glasses boy stated.

"What?" Ichigo looked up, confusion evident on his face.

"That's my _name_, not glasses boy," Ishida replied with a glare. Ichigo grinned, holding a hand out.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, nice to meet you."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Kuchiki Rukia was most definitely _not_ a stalker.

The other day she had just so happened to be heading in the same direction as Ichigo when she witnessed him aiding a classmate being attacked by thugs.

And today, she was bored and observing the carrot-top's interaction with other classmates like glasses boy Ishida Uryuu.

So why did she feel like she was invading personal privacy? She hadn't a clue.

She shrugged off the feeling and returned to absently doodling Chappy bunnies in her notebook.

"Class, settle down," the teacher commanded to no avail, side conversations continuing and students paying her no heed. She was angry for a second, which soon became an evil smile, "A pop test sounds pretty good."

Realizing she hadn't studied for this subject, Rukia silently wished that those Chappy bunnies she was drawing earlier would somehow help her pass.

Coincidentally, her seat mate, Ichigo, peered over her shoulder at her 'notes' and chuckled. "Cute. Are your drawings actually a code for answers? 'Cuz if not, we're both screwed."

Rukia didn't respond, too busy trying to sort her feelings between anger, confusion, and adoration. His closeness only made it _that_ much more difficult to think.

"We're screwed," she decided. He chuckled again.

It was going to be a _long_ day.

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**a/n: I'm running out of things to say in these author notes asking for reviews, haha. **

**Bob marly: your review made me laugh C: thanks for reviewing!  
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	5. Playground Ponderings

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Bleach**_**.**

**a/n: Shorter chapter, but fluffy to make up for it C:**

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Head down, Kuchiki Rukia headed for home. To put it simply, the day had _not_ gone well.

First mishap of the day: walking into the wrong classroom. That was embarrassing. Her contact lens had slipped a little, and she'd read the numbers wrong, accidentally going into the seniors' class 1-4. Some boy with a chesire cat like smile had teased her, calling her a baby octopus…just like a certain carrot-top we know. That matter was resolved quickly when her older brother death glared the boy away. She smiled her thanks and left for class.

Second mishap of the day: tripping down the stairs on the second-to-last step. Even a passing teacher laughed at that. Pathetic much? 'Nuf said.

Third mishap of the day: the pop test. She had a gut feeling that wasn't going to be a dandy experience explaining her failing grade to her parents and attempting to survive the aftermath of their strict scolding.

The playground to her left looked so very tempting at the moment—a temporary diversion before heading home to face the music because her guilty conscience would probably end up giving her away. She sat on one of the swings with a light _plop_. Swaying slightly on the tip of her toes, she sorted through her surplus of thoughts.

_What to do_, she mulled mentally. _Things to figure out: new contacts? Faster reflexes? Study better?...Kurosaki Ichigo?_ Her face blushed in reaction to that thought. _What am I doing, thinking about that _thing_. He's just an idiot…a charming idiot—URGHHHHHHH GET OUTTA MY HEAD!_

"Yo, octopus-head."

_Darn it._ She looked up meekly, her silent suspicions correct.

"What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked, giving her a curious look.

"N-nothing," she responded, not meeting his eyes.

There was a slightly awkward pause.

The ice cream man's music rang out from the street, "_Ice cream, get your ice cream on this hot day! New Chappy Edition for a limited time!_" The ice cream man shouted, parking by the playground. Rukia's ears perked up at this. Ichigo laughed at the obvious eagerness on her face. She obstinately hid her scarlet face, embarrassed, turning the other way. Two minutes passed.

Something cold came in contact with her nose, successfully leaving a bit behind on her face.

"Uwah!" She stammered, startled. A laugh met her ears.

_So cute_, Ichigo thought to himself after seeing that reaction.

"W-what is it?" Rukia asked, confused, staring at the Chappy Edition ice cream with longing. He placed it in her hand with an involuntary handsome smile.

"You wanted one, right?" He said casually.

"Un." She inspected it; yup, it was the Chappy Bunny ice cream. With a joyous smile, she began to eat it. Ichigo was leaning against the stake supporting the swing set, looking off in a different direction aloofly. She observed him carefully.

He was really quite attractive. Defined cheekbones, toned but slender muscles, and warm brown eyes framed by untamed orange locks. She quickly snapped out of it as she saw him move off of the stake.

"Well, I gotta get home now," he said, giving her a look, before smirking. "There's something on your face, dorky octopus." She looked back at him, puzzled. He knelt down and closed the distance between them, his lips brushed the tip of her nose. Her face darkened a few shades of red. He turned and grinned back at her while walking off. "You have my number, text me if you wanna hang out. See ya!"

She stared after him, baffled. He was really starting to get to her. An oozy sensation began to cool her hand—the ice cream was melting onto her hand. "Ah! Oh no!" She quickly saved her melting ice cream.

_I guess today wasn't so bad after all_, she thought to herself, standing up to head home.

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**a/n: FLUFFY! C: click ta button below & gimme feedback! My pocket monster luffs the feedback. Oh, and he's pretty fluffy and adorable.**

**Thank you shnizlefritz for reviewing; my pocket monster was very contented at such a long review C:  
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	6. Café Sweetie

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach_.**

**a/n: Fluffluffluffluffing my pillows with the fluffyness C:  
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1-464-XXX-XXX(Rukia)

1-464-XXX-XXX (Ichigo)

**(Rukia): (._.) new coffee cafe place past the station…wanna go?**

**(Ichigo): is this a date? (;**

**(Rukia): (x .x) shuttup!**

**(Ichigo): only kidding, hahaha. sure, when?**

**(Rukia): (- .-) after club activities?**

**(Ichigo): deal.**

Text conversation ends.

Ichigo laughed at the faces she sent with her texts. What an amusing girl. It was water break after playing soccer for a good hour and a half, half an hour left before club activities ended. He was washing his face in a fountain when a girl approached him.

"Kurosaki-san?" He looked up to see some girl blushing madly and looking down off to the side. Who was she? Probably just another one of his fangirls…She had a weird hair thing going on for her. Three braids on each side of her head were braided into a larger braid. How odd.

"What is it?" He said politely.

"Urh..uhm…I, I really like you! And th-this is f-for you!" She shoved a letter into his hands before running off.

He looked down at the letter, not even reading it. _Why, oh, why did I __**ever**__ think accepting these things was fun?_ He put it on top of the fountain with a sigh. He used to accept them just for kicks, hook up with the girl, and then dump her the next day. Girls he'd never seen nor talked to. Frankly, he wasn't feeling it anymore and was getting tired of it. A certain octopus-headed girl popped into his head. He pictured her confessing to him. _That wouldn't be so bad…_He mentally kicked himself, Keigo and Mizuiro's smirking faces popping into his head screaming 'BET! BET! WE WIN! AHAHHA!' His pride wouldn't stand for that…he quickly pushed all those thoughts away as his team members called for him to hurry up.

x-x-x-x-x-x

_What is it with this girl and sweet things?_ Ichigo observed, sipping his chocolate strawberry milkshake (a/n: AHHA I **had** to) while watching her eat strawberry shortcake. It was quite cute, actually, because crumbs were sticking to her face and she didn't even notice. He observed her carefully for another minute while she was too distracted by the cake to notice. He had to admit she was attractive in a childish kind of way and at the same time in a petite womanly type of way. He couldn't really place his finger on the word he was looking for.

"Octopus-head?" He initiated. A vein popped on her forehead.

_Endure it, you're eating cake_, Rukia reprimanded herself.

"What?" She asked with a twitching smile—twitching out of irritation, mind you.

"You've got something on your face again, and as cute as that is, you might want to wipe it off before I do it for you," Ichigo said with a smirk. Quick as lightning, Rukia swiped the crumbs off her face with a napkin, fearing Ichigo might actually try it. Her immediate response amused him.

"It's Rukia, _not_ Octopus-head," she pouted stubbornly. He inwardly thought she was cute once again.

"Oh, okay then, _Rukia_," he pronounced her name with exaggerated innuendo. She blushed and smacked him lightly on the head.

"Don't say my name like that, stupid!" Rukia blushed madly. He burst into laughter. Rukia laughed with him, his laugh contagious. Swiping away his tears from laughing too hard, amusement sparkled in Ichigo's eyes, as well as something else.

He himself didn't know what that _something else_ was. Not yet, at least.

"You like sweet things huh?" Ichigo stated.

"What makes you say that?" Rukia replied, curiosity shining in her lavender irises.

"That candy you gave me," she blushed at this, remembering his kiss, "the ice cream, and this cake."

"Anyone who doesn't like sweets must be either stupid or they don't exist," she replied matter-of-factly.

"Why's that?" He leaned on his elbow.

"Who doesn't like sweets?"

A pause.

"YOU PUT _SUGAR_ IN MY COFFEE? YOU WENCH!" A cranky old customer gave the waitress a hard time.

"This is _Café Sweetie_," the waitress retorted, pulling out a menu and pointing to the ingredients list for coffee.

The angry banter continued at a lower tone.

"So he must be stupid?" Ichigo whispered, wiggling his eyebrows in a comical way.

"Yup!" Rukia replied, on the verge of bursting with laughter. The two cracked up, muffling their laughs in their hands when the cranky customer glared their way.

"Let's scram." Ichigo stood up, both having already paid.

They exited the café.

"Well, that was entertaining," Ichigo stated.

"Un. Thanks for coming with me," Rukia replied, hands tucked behind her back.

"Anytime," he winked. "It's getting late, do you need me to walk you home?"

Rukia shrugged. "I live just around the corner a couple blocks. You really don't have to."

"Oh, but I insist," Ichigo replied deadpan, no secret innuendo. He was glaring at two scum bags eyeing the little shorty next to him. Of course, Rukia didn't seem to realize this.

"Suit yourself."

They filled the silence with mindless chatter as they walked each block. Little by little, conversation became easier and easier with less awkward gaps of silence.

"So when's your birthday?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"January 14th, yours?" She replied.

"July 7th."

"7/7? Interesting."

"You're a Capricorn eh?"

"And you're a crab."

"Ouch, that burns worse than being called carrot-top," he teased.

"Good."

Ichigo pulled out his phone and read out: "_The Cancer and the Capricorn is a live example of opposites attract. This is a severe blend of Water and Earth where none is ready to mix with each other. But surely each one finds the other fascinating as they both have opposite qualities which also give them a chance to learn from each other _(Ask Oracle)."

"Creep, randomly reading out horoscopes like that…" Rukia commented in a cheeky tone.

"Our future looks bright, little miss goat," Ichigo grinned, amused.

"Stupid crab," Rukia huffed.

They arrived at her doorstep.

"See ya," Rukia said, opening the door and closing it with a wave. He returned the wave and walked off with a lanky stride that screamed something like: 'I'm something like a tramp of your wildest dreams, only sexier; I do what I want, when I want.'

_Maybe it was a song?_ Rukia thought to herself, and then pushed the thought away.

On another note, Rukia went to ask her big brother to help her buy new contact lenses—she'd decided to deal with the mess in her head one step at a time.

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**a/n: Renji & Ichigo will clash...in the near future. wahahhah.**

**thanks for reviewing, shnizlefritz!  
**


	7. Arcade Date?

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach_.**

**a/n: No worries, my reviewers, the 'clash' will be next chapter. It probably isn't what you're expected though, ahha. **

**Oh, and I LOVE YOU ALL! Your reviews definitely made my day C:**

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**(Rukia): (._.) arcade center today?**

**(Ichigo): the one they just built? date number 2 you mean? :D**

**(Rukia): (-. -) i changed my mind…**

**(Ichigo): don't be like that **

**(Rukia): (o. o) whatevr**

**(Ichigo): i'm in! **

Text conversation ends.

_Yay, something to get me through today_, Ichigo thought to himself with a grin.

x-x-x-x-x-x

The day passed rather quickly, and Ichigo and Rukia walked out of the locker area in high spirits, chattering away about the day.

Unknown to either of them, a jealous pair of eyes was watching grudgingly.

x-x-x-x-x-x

"I should've known."

"What?" Rukia asked.

"The only reason a girl like you would ever—EVER—set one foot in this arcade dome…I thought something was off," Ichigo continued.

He sighed dramatically with disappointment, leaning against the 'Chappy-Chappy Fight!Extreme' game machine. A game where 'Plus Chappies' fought 'Hollow Chappies.' How curious…not. He watched her play the game with a focused countenance and intense eyes—well as intense as her large childish eyes could look while being taken seriously. Ha ha.

She turned to him and asked if he wanted to play. An offer which was refused under the facade that his fingers ached; he just didn't want to get nightmares from the creepy 'Hollow' bunnies. Well whatever, his loss.

When it was _Game Over_, an ad started playing on the screen advertising the new crane and photo taker with Chappy. Ichigo groaned as Rukia pulled him along to the crane. Indifferently, Ichigo observed her (failed) attempts at retrieving a plushie of Chappy. She sighed resignedly after her fifth try.

"I'll give it a shot," he offered. And like the incredible guy he was, _**bam**_, in one shot he'd gotten the toy.

"Show-off," Rukia pouted as he laughed lightly. A new idea sparked in her brain. She dragged him over to the photo booth and grinned.

"_Take a picture with Chappy-time!_" The photo booth sang, weird circus-like music playing in the background.

"I. Am. So. Not. Going. In. There. With. You," Ichigo groaned, shooting a reluctant look at the bright pink booth covered with animated bunnies that practically emitted a formidable aura seemingly damaging towards his pride.

"Yes, you _so_ will be!" Rukia said with an evil grin, amusement dancing in her eyes.

She laughed at the face Ichigo made when she shoved him into the booth.

The tunes spilled out as a voice said, "_On a count of three! One…"_

"Smile carrot-top!" Rukia prodded his stomach with her elbow. She looked at his unmoving face and pouted.

"_Two…"_

"ICHIGO!" Rukia shouted while fed up. He cracked a grin and ruffled her hair.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time, baby-octopus," he said teasingly.

"_Three!"_

The machine took four shots, and when it finally ended, they looked at the photos only to enter a hysterical fit of laughing. The passerbys shot strange looks at the photo booth, too afraid to find out exactly what was going on in there. Man, people and their perverted trains of thought.

The pictures were of Ichigo smiling and Rukia pouting, a bunny randomly kissing Ichigo, a bunny sitting on top of Rukia, and the last picture was framed by a bunch of flowers with toony faces covering their own in comical expressions.

"Can I have this one?" Ichigo asked, pointing to the first one. Rukia nodded and he stuck the sticker photo onto the back of his phone.

The fun was ending there for today, and they exited the arcade in a pleasant mood.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A pair of eyes scrutinized them, glaring jealously.

_This is _such_ a joke!_ The owner of the eyes thought to themselves. _It has to be a lie…that boy has __**never**__ had any interest in girls in that way! I know it! I mean, I've been watching him for years! _The owner thought to themselves for a moment. _Ah! Keigo and Mizuiro must know something about this—about this __**blasphemy of a couple**__! I will get to the bottom of this…and when I do…_he_ will be all _**mine**_._

_

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_**a/n: Dun dun dunnnn._._.**

**Today's was a tad short...my apologies xP**

**Anyways, another big thank-yew to those of you who reviewed! Made my day (':  
**


	8. The Mutual Friend Coincidence

**Disclaimer: I do not own_ Bleach_****.**

******a/n: Extended ending author note (replies to some reviewers I can't PM).**

******The clash we all (most of us) have been waiting for is...?**

******

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"Hello, my cute little kouhai!" An arm held Ichigo in a choke hold.

"Shinji-sempai, why must you strangle me every time you greet me?" Ichigo groaned.

Shrugging off the question, he brought up his reason for being in the juniors' class. "Wanna hang out today? One of my buddies is coming over, ya know," Shinji offered, quietly observing the people in Ichigo's class. Ichigo hesitated, peering at his phone. Seeing no new message, he decided.

"Sure."

"Great," Shinji smiled his chesire-cat-like smile, "see you there."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Renji, get your ass off my couch you lunkhead!" Shinji threatened, squishing another boy's face with his foot with a malicious frown.

Ichigo had finished at soccer practice and headed over, sending Shinji ahead so as not to wait while he showered. He'd just knocked on Shinji's door when he heard bickering on the other side. _Must be one of his buddies_, Ichigo thought, not recognizing the other person's voice, and opening the door for himself. It wasn't the first time he'd been there. On the contrary, it was probably somewhere around his hundredth time taking off his shoes and stuffing them in the 'usual spot'—under the step by the doorway. He walked over to the tv room.

Looking at the scene in front of him, Ichigo snickered. There was a red haired boy with exotic tattoos on his forehead, which oddly suited him, entangled with his fist squished into Shinji's cheek and knee at his stomach. Shinji, in turn, had his own fist squished in the red haired boy's face and foot connecting with the latter's stomach. Quite a scene, actually. It was really very much like watching two grade-schoolers fight for a toy.

Ichigo coughed indifferently, noticing they had been too engrossed in their bickering to notice he was there. That caught their attention. They turned from arguing with each to Ichigo.

"Why hello, my cute little kouhai! Welcome to the humble abode…once again. This idiot couch potato over here," Shinji indicated the red haired boy who growled, "is your sempai, Abarai Renji. He's in my class."

"Yo," Ichigo greeted simply. Renji twitched.

"Is that any way to introduce yourself to your senior?" Renji questioned menacingly in a joking air, untangling himself from Shinji and gripping Ichigo's head by his orange locks.

"Oh, sorry, sorry. Kurosaki Ichigo, junior in class 1-3." Ichigo's gaze didn't waver, staring back at the glaring Renji. A minute passed in silence.

There was a tense moment before Renji broke their gaze and seemed to be satisfied with the underclass man's look in his eyes.

"Hah ha! I like you, kid. Unwavering," Renji praised, cracking into a smile. "That's the way a _real_ man is." Shooting a reprimanding look over at Shinji, he stated, "Exhibit A of a failure of a man." Shinji gave him a sarcastic look, eyes half lidded with his upper row of teeth showing a sadistic frown.

"That's just what he says; Ichigo, don't fall for it. He fell for your coolness, the creep," Shinji said jokingly, faking a shiver.

"YOU!" Renji exploded, and the bickering from when Ichigo arrived continued.

Turning his attention away from the funny sight, the door suddenly flew open. A girl came flying through, her foot outstretched. Knowingly, Ichigo ducked just in time to the girl's foot make contact with Shinji's face.

"Hi-hiyori? What are you doing here?" Shinji said nervously as she held him up by his collar.

"BALDY! I CAN HEAR YOU AND STUPID RED PINEAPPLE BICKERING ALL THE WAY DOWN THE STREET!" The girl shouted in his face. She had pale blond hair tied back in pig tails, freckles, and hazel brown eyes. She was short, but fierce.

"Sorry, sorry," Shinji replied, the nervous edge still in his voice.

"Say, what the heck are you idiots doing anyway?" Hiyori asked dubiously.

"'Bout to play video games and eating contests."

"How stupid," Hiyori said, dropping Shinji. "I'm leaving…so…KEEP IT DOWN YA SHITHEADS."

And as quickly as she arrived, she left.

The three boys were silent, dumbfounded.

"Well on that note…on to the video games!" Shinji cried, grinning.

Renji, claiming his butt was secured to the couch, remained on the couch while the other two had to sit on the floor, each had a game controller in their lap.

After two hours of furious button-pressing and shouts of indignation and victory during virtual battles and races, Shinji's mom poked her head in, warning them that they'd fry their brains if they continued on much longer. It took another fifteen minutes before Shinji's mom forcefully unplugged the game console. The boys sighed. An idea sparked in Renji's mind.

"Eating contest?" Renji suggested, and as if on cue his and Ichigo's stomachs chorused a consensus of rumbling.

"Yikes," Shinji snickered at their undignified embarrassment, only to eat his own laughter as his stomach gave a huge growl louder than both Ichigo and Renji's put together. The two cackled and sniggered until Shinji felt just as undignified and embarrassed.

"Sounds like—" Ichigo began.

"—a stampede," Renji finished.

The two high-fived each other while fleeing from Shinji's wrath while laughing their butts off.

Another hour later, the three were sprawled in the tv room once again, this time all seated on the floor. That hour consisted of talking with mouths full, burps, and prideful taunts. In their minds, three hours well spent.

Shinji turned over onto his stomach and turned to the two. "So," he wiggled his eyebrows, "any girls I should know about, Berry and Pineapple?"

"Nope," Renji replied, not missing a beat.

On the other hand…Ichigo turned away with a placid face. Taking a bit too long to answer, the other two stared dumbly at his silence for a few moments, before evil little grins invaded their features.

"Could it be? The lady-killer is interested?" Shinji mocked sincerity within a teasing tone.

"Oh? Is that so, Berry?" Renji questioned, his eyebrows raised, curiosity sparked in his eyes.

"Whatever…" Clearly, Ichigo had no intention of sharing.

The other two exchanged sinister glances and began their attack. Renji restrained his arms and Shinji sat on his feet, taking a feather out of his back pocket.

"OH FUCK NO—" Ichigo started, watching as the feather grew steadily closer. "No! Stop! Stop it you shit heads! NOOOOOOOOOO!" Ichigo put up a fight, letting out tortured laughs as the feather tickled him. "Stop—stop! I'll talk, I will!" He finally submitted and the other two yielded the tickle torture.

"So! Who is it?" Shinji conduced.

"Well…actually…I like—," the two leaned in, "there's no way I'd tell you, suckers!" Ichigo got up and started running around the house, the other two hot on his tail.

"Get back here you brat!" The two shouted after him.

They tired out much faster than he did, and so, triumphant, Ichigo sat down.

"You will never get a name out of me," Ichigo declared tiredly in between breaths.

"At least tell us if you actually like a _girl_!" Shinji demanded while gasping for air.

A few moments passed as Ichigo's eyes softened, focusing on nothing as he enveloped himself in his thoughts.

"I think I might like this one girl. I think," he admitted. Another few moments passed before the other two pounced on him.

"Aww Berry-chan! You're so cute!" Shinji stated, ruffling his hair teasingly.

"Yeaaah boy, who knew you could make such a gentle face? Pretty boy!" Renji added, pinching his cheeks, smirking.

Ichigo was dumbfounded, "And that's the last time I tell you guys a single shred about my life."

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**a/n: To the people who read/reviewed this story, you rock! C:**

To **Imou: **I'm ecstatic that my first reviewer is still keeping with this story—thanks so much!

To the user '**Sasha**': Well you see, originally I'd thought that I would make this fic about the social interactions between each and every character of the _Bleach_ world in high school. But then, realizing I'm an amateur and the story just walked on its two legs without my help, I decided to continue in the direction the characters were leading themselves. But no, I did not get my ideas from other fics, though I _must _say many fics do inspire me as a writer. In addition, I read manhwa (Korean manga) and I thoroughly enjoy those because they usually start out with the female character pissing the crap out of the male character xP The idea of a bet was inspired by one of the writers I admire most though C:

To the user '**Alyssa**': Wow! I'm ecstatic that someone took away from the interactions with Sado and Ishida exactly what I had in mind! Props to you, my friend C:

To **Bob marly** and **shnizlefritz**: I'm glad you're looking forward to it—and really hoping it doesn't disappoint you guys too much D:

To **MikoSwordmaiden01**: I'm super happy that their relationship is freshieez C:


	9. Disastrous Undoing Begins

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach_.**

**a/n: SO! The new Panic!At the Disco album is out, Vices & Virtues, I'M ABSOLUTELY STOKED C:**

**oh and...we're nearing the end here...erk. We'll probably have 1 or 2 more chapters.**

**Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I do writing it.**

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**(Ichigo): so what's going on for today?**

Life felt so good. Ichigo had never experienced happiness like this before, and he really did enjoy spending time with Rukia. It felt like nothing could possibly deter the good feelings he's been having. And to top that, the movie _Inception_ just came out—and Ichigo was practically dying to see it.

**(Rukia): (-_-) dunno…you pick this time.**

**(Ichigo): movies?**

**(Rukia): (o_o) 'kay.**

Text conversation ends.

If his feelings were to be expressed in a physical concept, it would be equivalent to floating on clouds.

And if her feelings were to be expressed in a physical concept…well let's just leave it at floating 11 clouds above him.

How sweet.

They wouldn't be expecting what's coming, now would they?

Yikes.

x-x-x-x-x-x

It was morning of the next day.

Rukia lay in her bed, reminiscing on yesterday's events at the movies.

She remembered her heart beat aflutter and everything in sight in a dreamy pallor-pink haze. She was living in her thoughts, remembering the moment at the time in the movies where the van drove off the bridge for the kick that would bring every character out of their dream inside a dream inside a dream—and during those ten seconds prolonged throughout the film, Ichigo kissed her.

**Flashback.**

_His lips brushed hers, and her eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't been expecting Ichigo to kiss her again since that time on the roof…but this one felt different. It didn't feel so professional—it felt _real_, as if no longer devoid but filled with something._

_Rukia grinned at the look on his face, it was so gentle and his eyes were so warm. Something like an orange puppy—vulnerable—something she'd never seen in him. _

"_You do know how cute you are right? If not, it would be a shame," Rukia teased._

"_I think I should be the one saying that," Ichigo replied, ruffling her hair._

**End Flashback.**

_Wow_, she thought. The only word she could think of to express her lovely memory.

She peeked at the clock, and stood up. She was out the door after throwing on her uniform, brushing her teeth, combing her hair, packing her bag, and eating breakfast.

Just like any other morning.

Or so she'd pictured it.

x-x-x-x-x-x

Rukia was seated at her desk, absentmindedly doodling on her desk, thinking about her seat mate, who'd left to go hang out with his senior friends. Inoue and Tatsuki were chatting amiably with her about what Inoue had packed for lunch, staying away from Chizuru the pervert, and how Reiichi the faker got his ass kicked. Nothing new really.

It was quite an entertaining conversation with Inoue's jokes and Tatsuki's exaggerations.

It was pleasant.

x-x-x-x-x-x

A girl leaned over Keigo and Mizuiro's shoulders, listening to their conversations.

"Crap, we might actually have to buy him those 5 months of cocoa," Keigo whined.

"Shut up, idiot. What happens if somebody hears about that?" Mizuiro chided.

"Buuuut, who knew every girl would just, y'know, fall for his charms? I guess that transfer student is no different. Dammit!"

"Ichigo is going to kill you if anyone over hears about that bet."

"How do you know?"

"Intuition. Remember, Keigo, my young grasshopper, I have years of experience with ladies."

"Hmpf, shut up! I'm just waiting for my chance with Inoue. She'll realize she has the hots for me someday…"

Mizuiro laughed at that piteously.

The girl smirked. _Perfect, I knew Ichigo-sama wasn't into that type of girl—she's so __**not **__his type. Unlike me_, she thought to herself.

x-x-x-x-x-x

"Kuchiki-san?"

"Eh?" Rukia looked up to see a girl with a…weirdo hair style. Not that she was one to talk…

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" The girl asked, faking uneasiness and brimming with tears.

"Yes of course, we'll go talk over there," Rukia gave her a tissue before getting up and going outside the classroom. "Now, what's the matter?" Rukia asked curiously with sympathy.

"I-it's h-h-horrible!" The girl wailed. "I'm so s-sorry Kuchiki-san! So very sorry!" Rukia was confused. "H-h-he's a j-jerk!"

"Who's a jerk?"

"K-kurosaki I-ichigo!"

Rukia looked at her with disbelief. What had that idiot done?

"He—he only t-talked to you because of a bet with Keigo and M-mizuiro! If he could get with you, t-then he'd get 5 months of hot chocolate!" The girl wailed some more—fuckin' actress was real convincing.

Rukia looked at her blankly—words not registering. "What?"

The girl didn't respond, wailing some more and running away, hiding a smirk.

Rukia didn't move. The words were slowly being processed. She began to tremble. Lovely memories began to shatter.

A tear slid down her face.

And then another.

And then many followed suit.

She couldn't return to class like this. Her feet led her to the roof, where she began to sob as loudly as she liked, because no one could hear her up there.

x-x-x-x-x-x

"Where's Rukia?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh, the girl she was with said she'd gone to the nurse. She wasn't feeling well…" Inoue answered.

"Is she alright? Or is it…you know?" Ichigo raised his eyebrows and gestured with his hands. Tatsuki's face reddened, and she smacked him.

"IDIOT! WHEN GIRLS ARE PMSing THEY DON'T WANT THE WHOLE WORLD TO KNOW!" Tatsuki growled in his ear.

Ichigo shrugged, and class went on without his seat mate.

x-x-x-x-x-x

"Rukia?" Renji questioned, picking up his ringing cellphone.

"…Renji? He heard stifled sniffle in the background.

"What happened?" He dreaded to know.

The line was silent—she'd attempted to muffle it while she bawled at Renji's evident and sincere concern for her.

"I'm coming right now, where are you?"

"…the roof."

The line went dead. (**a/n:**déjà-vu?)

In a matter of minutes, Renji was by her side.

"Tell me what's wrong," Renji coaxed the crying girl.

"H-he…it was…a-all of it…I…I can't…believe it," Rukia swiped at her tears, which couldn't seem to stop flowing down her pale cheeks.

"You don't mean the lad who made you cry before, do you?"

She nodded.

His blood boiled. "I'm going to—"

"It was all a bet," Rukia said in a calm voice, tears still streaming uncontrollably, "it was all fake. I should've known somebody like that could never end up with somebody like me. I should've—I should've—" Her calm broke into sobs.

"What is _his_ name?" Renji emphasized 'his' icily.

There was a silence besides her quiet sobbing.

"…Kurosaki…Ichigo," she mumbled.

Renji froze. He hadn't heard her right, had he? That was a trick of the ears, had to be. "What?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo," she whispered a little louder.

His blood went cold. He'd heard her right, it was no trick. He remembered the time at Shinji's house, the interesting fellow he liked. The one he'd high-fived. The one he'd fooled around with Shinji with. The one who made his best friend cry. Before the fury overtook him, a voice in his head made itself heard.

_Wait._

The fury paused in its advance.

**Flashback.**

_"You will never get a name out of me," Ichigo declared tiredly in between breaths._

_"At least tell us if you actually like a __girl__!" Shinji demanded while gasping for air._

_A few moments passed as Ichigo's eyes softened, focusing on nothing as he enveloped himself in his thoughts._

_"I think I might like this one girl. I think," he admitted. _

**End Flashback.**

He patted Rukia on the back, handing her a pack of tissues he'd grabbed along the way to the roof.

_Something's not right_, he thought. _Rukia probably won't listen to anything logical in this condition—it's up to you now, punk._

_

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_**a/n: REVEALED. How will Renji react when they meet? C:**

**THanks FOr REviEWing 'Alyssa' and Imou!  
**


	10. Crushed

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach_. Tite Kubo is a genius.**

**a/n: (laughs) your reviews made me laugh at the anticipation haha. I was absolutely mindblown at the sheer number of readers on this story**—**_over 2,000_**—**the people who favorited and alerted this story was amazing! Thanks so much guys! C:**

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Something was terribly wrong the next day.

His seat mate wouldn't even acknowledge his existence.

What was the meaning of this?

Rukia wouldn't look his way or respond when he said good morning. Hearing Tatsuki's words in his head once again, he shrugged it off and decided not to pry. It wasn't his place—as Tatsuki put it—to ask a possibly PMSing girl what was wrong.

Keigo observed this exchange from afar and assumed the worst case scenario had happened.

That Ichigo had _succeeded_ in getting in her pants. And now she was pretending he didn't exist and that they were strangers. _One-night-stand _scenario.

Keigo nudged Mizuiro with a defeated look and gestured towards the two. "Mizuiro, buddy, I think we lost the bet." Mizuiro looked back at him quizzically.

"The bet?" It took him a minute. "Ohh. We were still doing that?"

Keigo nodded hurriedly.

"Oh. What do you mean we lost?"

"Can't you tell by Kuchiki's cold treatment that they obviously did it and now they pretend not to know each other? The infamous _one-night-stand_ scenario."

"I don't know…but how did you come up with that? You've never had a one-night-stand," Mizuiro said knowingly, "Though that does seem logical of their behavior…maybe Ichigo messed up and now she's scarred for life?"

Keigo blushed, "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?"

"Just a thought," Mizuiro shrugged.

"Well, let's go congratulate him!" Keigo said, feeling a little defeated that they'd lost, but proud of their successful lady-killer living up to his name.

"Yo! Ichiigoo!" Keigo greeted with a shiny smile.

Ichigo nodded in greeting at them.

"YOU WIN!" Keigo announced. "You have successfully wooed the transfer student before the end of the month, THEreFORE! You will receive 5 months of cocoa courtesy of Mizuiro and I," Keigo bowed.

Ichigo's eyes widened in disbelief. He'd totally forgotten all about that bet. His eyes began to cloud with despair as he saw Rukia flinch.

"But I forg—" Ichigo started, only to be interrupted.

Rukia slammed her hands on her desk, standing up.

She glared daggers at him and said, "I despise your very existence." He felt like he'd just been shot in the chest cavity and kicked in the stomach. She ran out the door.

Ichigo had noticed something back there. The look in her eyes…he'd thought it was a glare, but really, it resembled more the look of a kicked puppy.

Oh.

He was an idiot.

It was _hurt_.

He quickly got up and ran to the door, looking for the direction she'd gone in. But she'd already disappeared. A pair of short arms wrapped around his waist before he could begin looking for her.

"Hey, forget about her," a girl—a somehow _familiar_ girl—said. It was the fangirl who'd confessed to him.

"Get off of me," he said coldly.

"No," she tried to sound playful

"Get _off_ me," he growled. She jolted back.

"But you should _want_ **me** now! I got rid of her after hearing those idiots talk about your bet! I DON'T UNDERSTAND!" She cried, flailing her arms to exaggerate. Ichigo glared at her.

"You _what_?" He demanded.

"Eeek!" She hid behind Keigo.

"Keigo you idiot, I told you not talk about it!" Mizuiro scolded nervously.

"If I'd known it was gonna be like this, I never woulda even made the bet or congratulated or anything!" Keigo whimpered.

"_AHEM_," the teacher was at the doorway, tapping her foot.

"I need to go to the infirmary," Ichigo stated vulnerably.

"Fine, Kurosaki may go. Everybody else in their seats. _Now_. Class started ten minutes ago," she demanded, making her way to the front of the room while complaining about the crowded hallways.

Ichigo ran down the hallways, heading for the stairs to the roof.

He opened the door and began to say something, and stopped when he noticed it wasn't just Rukia, it was Renji too. Renji couldn't contain it anymore. He'd given him a chance—a chance to make things right. And he goes and makes her cry again.

"YOU BASTARD!" Renji shouted, "This the THIRD time you've made her cry, dammit!" Ichigo stood there, shocked.

"I—" Ichigo began, only to be interrupted by a furious Abarai Renji.

"You like to toy with people's feelings, huh?" Renji growled.

Ichigo didn't say anything, frowning and glaring at the ground.

Renji struck him with his fist in the cheek. Hard. **Owch.**

A voice in his head sighed, as if finally resurfacing.

Expecting a furious scolding, he was shocked yet again as Renji lifted Rukia to her feet (she'd been crying on the ground) and began to head for the door.

"I thought you were different than the rumors. Sincere. I misjudged you, punk," disappointment was evident in Renji's voice as they left him there. Hurt clenched at his heart as he thought of Rukia's tears and Renji's disapproval.

**Are you messing around?** The voice in his head asked him.

His eyes widened at a sudden realization, the voice in his head speaking up for him.

"I'm not messing around…not anymore."

_Now, how to fix this?_

**Do you love her?**

_Isn't that obvious?_

**Then figure it out yourself, idiot.**

_I don't want to hear that from you._

_

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_**a/n:**** Did you guys like part 2 of Renji's reaction? I realized he did seem a little wishy-washy, but I felt like he shouldn't be doing anything rash until he finally saw Ichigo and exploded. Haha the little snitch was that girl that Ichigo blew off by totally ignoring her love letter. Surprised? C:**

_Thank you so much for the reviews!_

_**Sadly, next chapter will be the last, thank so much for reading this far!**  
_


	11. Serves You Quite Right, THe ENd

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Bleach_.**

**a/n: The final chapter. Will their relationship remain in shambles, or not? And if so, how will he fix it? You'll see C: **

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A girl bit her nails nervously. Her plan had backfired. Majorly.

"Well, tarry on as those might say when the loot is not worth its pay," the girl said to herself, fondly running a hand over her weird triple braid in one braid hair style. She settled into a deep thought about who would be her next target.

"Yo, Medusa," Tatsuki's voice broke her out of her rueful thoughts.

"Oh, if it isn't Tomboy and Monster Melons?" She replied with a smirk. Tatsuki gritted her teeth as Inoue looked at her blankly.

"Your hair really sickens me, _Medusa_," Tatsuki retorted, seeing as the braids making up her braids looked like miniature snakes with v-shaped scales.

"What is it to you, you freaky man-woman?" The girl lifted her nose in the air.

"We happen to be in a _very _PMSy mood—do forgive us if we're rough." She grinned sickly sweet. "I'd imagine just _what_ you've done to our friends if I were you, and start repenting before we do something a little too unforgivable to fix that snotty little attitude you've got going on."

"Pfft, are you kidding? I don't give a damn. You can't touch me." The was a slight quiver to her voice—almost going unnoticed, but Inoue spotted it.

Inoue was frowning deeply—an unusual sight for the cheery girl. "You hurt Rukia-chan and Kurosaki-kun. That's unforgivable."

"Got that right, Inoue," Tatsuki agreed, pulling out an object from her pocket that glinted. "Say, why don't we rid you of that venomous hairstyle, ya?" The girl's eyes shown in terror as the scissors took a clean cut of her braids. At the cut, she shrieked as it puffed up into its original frizzy state, no longer in braids. Tatsuki laughed at the expression her face. It was priceless.

_Bitch gets what's comin' to her_.

And so, they left the girl to drown in her little puddle of despair.

Or the pile of her disgusting hair snippets. That worked too.

x-x-x-x-x-x

"We're sorry, really!" Mizuiro cried.

"Forgive us!" Keigo pleaded.

"You guys are SO not worth the mess," Ichigo stated firmly, smacking the idiot Keigo and mischievous Mizuiro on the sides of the head.

"We'll make it up to you…we promise," Mizuiro stated apologetically.

"Hot cocoa for the rest of your life, my king!" Keigo fretted, bowing until his forehead hit the floor. (**a/n: this isn't gyoza…dummies**)

"Oh?" Ichigo smirked. "Actually, I need a favor."

x-x-x-x-x-x

The next day just so happened to be a holiday and school was canceled.

_Thank god_, Rukia thought, _I don't have to see him and I get to sleep in. What am I supposed to do about this, anyway?_

If possible, she looked her absolute worse that morning. And felt it too.

Tear trails had left a crusty layer on her cheeks, and her eyes stung. Her hair was a complete _mess_.

_Okay, so maybe my heart was broken. That doesn't mean I have to mope_, she thought to herself.

Rolling out of bed, she jumped into the shower, combed her hair, put her p.j.s back on, and rolled back under the covers.

_Back to sleep_.

Knocking woke her from her sleep.

She rolled off her bed and opened the door to find her older brother, Byakuya, standing there.

"Yes, onii-sama?" She asked.

"You have a visitor," he responded back

She was a little puzzled. _Who could it be? It wouldn't be Ichigo…it just wasn't a possibility. Maybe Inoue or Tatsuki?_ She thought, heading down the stairs.

The reached for the doorknob and looked on in disbelief.

_OH. MY. GOD._ She mentally screamed.

x-x-x-x-x-x

**Flashback a little before Rukia opened her door.**

_"You bought it?" Ichigo asked._

_"Yeah. You sir, are a freak with weird fetishes," Keigo declared, handing over a large bag._

_"Like you're one to talk, I saw you keep a lock of Inoue-san's hair in your locker…" Mizuiro accused._

Yikes_, Ichigo thought, taking out a smaller bag that held what he purchased._

_"See ya," Ichigo said, heading off to the local toilets._

_He quickly pulled the garment out of the bag and pulled it on over his clothes. He took out the smaller bag and quickly stuffed it in his pocket._

Alright. Time for the walk of shame, _he thought to himself while looking down the road to town with many people going about their business._

**End Flashback.**_  
_

x-x-x-x-x-x

On her doorstep. Right there.

"OH MY GOD!" Rukia let out a surprised shriek, her eyes not believing the sight before her.

Chappy the bunny…_a **FULL** BODY COSTUME_.

And just who was in it? Why, our favorite carrot-top of course. His face was a red as a tomato, staring down at his (fluffy white) feet.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely—delicate as if he might break something. "And I want you to know that in the beginning, I was a fool, agreeing to the bet."

She bit her lip, holding back tears.

"But after we started to hang out more, I'd forgotten completely about the bet, and I hung out with you because I wanted to—not because of some stupid bet." A moment later, and the vulnerable Ichigo was back to being invulnerable. "I hope you know, this is the most embarrassing thing I've ever done in my life." He looked up to find her bangs had covered her eyes and she was slowly approaching him, one step at a time before she was standing before him.

"Oh? Is it? Because I think the next most embarrassing thing you've done in your life is—," she lifted her foot gingerly and tucked it behind her, his face puzzled; she kicked her leg out and kicked him hard in the shins (**a/n: shnizlefritz's wish fulfilled**), "being spared by a girl like me who was originally going to aim for your manhood." She smiled sweetly as he flinched in quite a bit of physical and mental pain. He quickly tried to push the memories of getting kicked in the groin by Tatsuki out of his head.

"I don't think that was embarrassing at all," Ichigo stated, rubbing his shins, "I deserved it, didn't I?" Looking up to meet her eyes, he held out a small bag that had her favorite bunnies dancing all over the plastic. She laughed—showing she'd accepted the apology by accepting the bag.

She opened it to find two plastic 'Limited Rare Edition Chapptastics' hairclips.

"CHAPPY!" She wrapped her arms around his neck in an embrace, tucking her face in the hollow of his neck while smiling.

"…you would."

"Shut up, Chappy doesn't talk!"

"Uh, yeah, he does. I think I remember the _dreadful _talking photo booth." He held up the back of his cell phone as a reminder—the little photo sticker still intact.

"Well, he doesn't say sarcastic things—only sincere things."

"Okay then," Ichigo looked into her eyes with glowing warmth and a gentle gaze, "I love you."

"Oh? Really?" Rukia questioned sarcastically with an indifferent expression on her face.

"Why you little!" Ichigo noogied her, a smile on his face.

"I was just kidding!" Rukia exclaimed through her laughter.

Their laughs died down, and a moment of comfortable silence passed between them, staring into each others' eyes.

"Then I suppose I love you too."

And he kissed her with a smile playing on his lips.

.

.

.

El Fin C:

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.

They parted for air, "By the way, you really suck at drawing," Ichigo stated with a grin, earning a good (playful) smack to the head.

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**a/n: Fluffy ending, yay! **

**Did you like it? If not, why? Leave me a review so I know what to do when I write my next story! Like if it's too corny or too generic or something that you plain didn't like and if the characters were in character enough. Thank you guys SOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSO! much for reading my fic-I'm really touched c:**

**THE END of THE END!  
**


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